Missing Scene
by famouscliche
Summary: What I thought should have happened between when Kate left Madison's hotel room & when she showed up to see Lucas.


This is a "missing scene" from Friday the 17th.  
I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Kate slammed the door to Madison's hotel room and nearly fell to the floor in a heap of sobs. They shook her thin figure and didn't allow her to stand back up for several moments. She thought of the way Ian grabbed ahold of her, and how she felt the same way when John did. It hurt. Not only did her wrists ache now, but it shattered her broken heart.

She thought that somewhere, deep down, Ian had feelings for her, but when he grabbed ahold of her, treated her like she was worthless, she knew better. She finally understood that he didn't feel anything whatsoever for her. He never did. Maybe lust... but not love. Not compassion. Nothing kind at all.

And John... he was the man she helped through a drug addiction, the man she loved in his most desperate state, his most helpless condition, his darkest hour, the man she brought back to life. But now they had become strangers, even enemies. Kate never wanted that, not even a little bit. She pictured her life with him by her side at one point in time. But she couldn't help but wonder if maybe he never felt anything for her, either. Perhaps he had just used her to get over his precious Marlena.

As soon as Kate thought she might be able to steady herself, she heard Ian's voice reasonating in her mind that Stefano had used her, too. He had used her everyday for the past three years. She didn't want to believe it, but what if it was true? What if the test he gave her was to make her go away because he knew she would fail? Another avalanche of sobs crashed down on her, hard, and she couldn't escape. She felt so broken.

Finally, after several minutes had passed, she pulled herself up off the ground and wiped her mascara-stained face with her hands. She noticed a cut on her hand, most likely from the explosion, but she didn't dare look any further up. She was afraid that with the way she had been thrown around within the last hour, there might already be bruises.

She began to walk down the stairs, but found herself in a blur of thoughts, tears, and fear. Somehow she wound up at the police station. She supposed her subconscious told her that she had to let Roman in on the confession that Ian made to her, but as soon as Roman walked over to her, she couldn't remember what she was going to say. All she knew was that she needed someone to love her, and when he hugged her, asking what was wrong, she broke down into tears in front of the three detectives that were in the station, including Bo and Hope.

"Katie, what happened, honey?" Roman asked gently, after he managed to get her into his office carefully sitting her down in the chair in front of his desk. He grabbed a few tissues off of the side of the work table and knelt in front of her, practically begging her to take them from his hands. But she couldn't be bothered to worry about wiping her eyes. She was too worked up about what had gone on not even an hour ago across town.

"I... I..." she tried to get out, but tears interfered with her voice. She was hurting so badly.

Roman pulled her into his arms and tried to sooth her with small "shh" sounds, rubbing her back simultaneously, but she continued to cry. Finally, moments after Roman held her tightly, her tears began to subside, and Kate let her voice sober up from the heavy sobs.

"Ian killed Stefano," she finally said in a whisper, looking up into Roman's soft eyes.

Those eyes hardened quickly, realizing they had been chasing the wrong suspect the entire time. How could he have not investigated more? Of course there were already eight suspects, but he should have looked at Ian McCallister. Something about the guy already didn't sit right with Roman, and he should have followed his gut instinct, not just the evidence.

"What?"

Kate nodded. "He told me tonight."

"Jesus, Kate. When?"

"Just a little while ago... and then Brady came and I had to tell him about Madison and John grabbed me..." she bit her lip as another wave of tears crashed down her face silently. She hadn't meant for that to slip out, but she had to let Roman know why she didn't come to him immediately.

"John did what?" he asked, getting angry with what she told him. His cheeks flushed with rage, and Kate touched his face before he could get up.

"He didn't mean it... I just... Ian did the same thing before, and he tried to hold me down... he kissed me and I didn't want him to," she shook her head; Roman noticed more tears.

"He didn't..."

"No, no. He only kissed me, but I hated it, Roman. I hate the way he used me. He was using me the entire time, and he killed Stefano! He ruined my whole life," she finally broke down again.

This wasn't the Kate that Roman knew and loved, the one that would rather get revenge than get upset. Something must have struck her, and maybe it was Ian's ultimate betrayal. Roman wondered if she would be able to get past this and if she might try to do something stupid. He had to protect her.

"Katie, c'mon... we'll track him down and make him pay, do you hear me? We will. I will personally lock him up and if the law allows for it, I'll push the DA to try for the death penalty. He'll never be able to hurt you again," he promised her softly, thinking of all of the ways he'd repay Ian if he could. Seeing Kate upset made his heart shatter.

"There isn't much else he could do to me," she said, defeated.

"No, that's not true. What about your kids? Your grandkids? Your friends... they need you, Katie. I need you, too."

Kate looked at him with a soft smile, and pulled him into a hug. "I need you, too, Roman. I need you now and I need you to help me take that bastard down. He has to pay for what he did to Stefano."

"I'm not going to pretend I was a fan of DiMira's, but he hurt you, and that's enough for me to see that he pays for his crimes. I promise to get him."

"Thank you, Roman," she whispered gently, kissing his cheek lightly. Just then, it was like the clouds had disappeared. Kate could finally see the world again. It wasn't such a dark place. She looked at Roman, not knowing what kind of feelings she had for him, but she knew that they were real. He was always her hero, and he always would be.


End file.
